FAQs
Q: Where and when are rehearsals?
A. We rehearse in the Friends and Family Hall at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
Fall and Spring seasons: Voices rehearsals take place on Tuesday nights from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
Cantari rehearsals will take place after a short break.
Summer seasons: The entirety of Voices rehearses on Tuesday nights from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
There is no separate Cantari choir in the summer.
Q: Are rehearsal spaces accessible?
A. The spaces we use are fully accessible. Our main rehearsal space St. Thomas More is accessible with designated parking spots and power doors. On occasion we will have rehearsals at United Methodist Church, and they have a small parking lot in the back with several parking spaces for persons with disabilities. They also have power doors in the back.
Q: How do I sign up?
A: Voices often offers a summer chorus open to anyone who’s interested, no audition required.
Our fall and spring chorus semesters do require a one-time audition.
You can decide to audition only for Voices, or also for Cantari (our smaller ensemble). All Cantari members also sing with Voices. Once you are in Voices, we don’t require members to audition again if they miss a few seasons.To start the audition process, please fill out our audition submission form and our Membership director will reach out.
Q: What should I expect for the audition process?
A: Auditions generally take place in the Friends and Family Hall at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
The audition consists of:
- being greeted at the door by the Membership Director on our board and often the President of our board
- being introduced to our conductor, Dr. Stephen Futrell
- doing some vocalization and call-and-response exercises with Stephen
- singing a prepared song of your choosing for Stephen
The call-and-response will be up to 5 exercises ranging from giving you 3 pitches to then sing back, on up to 8 pitches to sing back. For your prepared song, please bring a piece that is in a good range for your voice, covering at least an octave, and in a legato style. Your piece should show off range and expression. Any genre is fine—songs can range from folk songs, to selections from musicals or operas, art songs, and hymns. Please bring a copy of your sheet music. If you like, Stephen can sparsely play along, or you can bring a bluetooth speaker and your phone/device and sing with an accompaniment track. If you do not have a song for the audition, Stephen has many familiar selections on hand. In addition to range and expression, Stephen will be listening for resonant vocal quality, and your ability to sing in tune and to project your voice. If you’re auditioning for Cantari, there will also be a tune for you to sight read.
The audition only takes about 15 minutes and we try to make this process very friendly and not intimidating, so please don’t hesitate to come try out!
Q: Are there particular voice parts that you are looking for? A: We always need more Tenor and Bass/Baritone singers! We expect to audition Soprano and Alto singers for Voices but may have more limited ability to accept these new singers, depending on available slots. Currently, we have a wait list for Sopranos and Altos for Cantari. (We audition for all voice parts based on your vocal range and your preference, not your gender.)
Who is conducting for Voices and Cantari?
A: Our wonderful current conductor Dr. Stephen Futrell leads our choruses! You can read more about him here: https://www.voiceschapelhill.org/about/staff-and-board/
Q: I’m going to have to miss a couple rehearsals; should I still join?
A: We ask that members make every effort to be at rehearsals so that we can all practice together and stay in sync. But we know that life happens! If you have to miss a rehearsal, you can practice the music on your own time and follow up with someone in your section to get any updates. If you know you’ll miss at least 3 rehearsals, we ask that you go ahead & reach out to Stephen or membership@voicechapelhill.org to give us a heads up.
Q: How much does it cost to participate in the chorus?
A: Fall and Spring season dues:
- $120 for Voices only
- $150 for Voices and Cantari
- $75 for students, regardless of just Voices or Voices and Cantari
Summer chorus dues:
- $50 for Voices (no Cantari in the summer)
- $25 for students.
This includes the cost for your music packet. Please don’t ever let cost be the reason you don’t participate! There is an option on the sign-up form to request financial aid as well as sponsor-a-singer. We never turn away a singer for lack of funds. You’re welcome to reach out to membership@voicechapelhill.org with any questions or concerns at any time about this topic.
Q: Will music be provided?
A: Yes! You’ll get your music at our first rehearsal.
Q: Is this intended to be a religious choir?
A: No. We practice at a church because it is an inexpensive space for our rehearsals. And as you can see from our diverse repertoire at our concerts, we try to be inclusive in the kinds of music we sing. We seek to make everyone feel welcome and we certainly don’t require any particular faith affiliation for you to be part of our choir.
Q: I’m not sure what voice part I am. Does my gender matter? Are there particular parts you need more / less of? Does Stephen help with this?
A: We welcome all parts, but we can always use more tenors and basses! And your gender doesn’t matter at all – your vocal part in our choir is based on your voice and your preference. Stephen absolutely can help with assessing what part might be a good fit for you. So if you’re a new member, talk to him at your audition with any questions. And if you’re an existing member that might like to switch parts, you’re also more than welcome to reach out to Stephen.
Q: What will choir members wear for the concert?
A: No need to purchase anything extra unless you want to, we just ask that choir members wear all black. That can look like: black dresses, a black top with black pants, black tuxedos or suits with a white shirt underneath with black pants / jacket / tie or bow tie, etc. We’ll communicate more about this and other concert details as we get closer to the concert. For summer chorus, we often have a more casual uniform of jeans and a t-shirt.